Betazoid
Betazoids hail from the Core planet of Betazed. They are all but indistinguishable from Humans except for their dark-colored eyes and highly developed telepathic abilities. A peaceful race, the Betazoid people appreciate fine arts, literature, and philosophy. As all Betazoids are telepathic, they usually do not need to vocalize their thoughts to one another in order to communicate, but can do so for the benefit of offworlders. It is a natural ability, and likewise the strength of the skill varies from one to another. Their telepathic abilities develop at adolescence. However there are cases where the child is born with fully functional telepathy. In such cases extensive therapy is usually needed to condition the patient to screen out background noise. Screening is a skill that is absolutely necessary for the well-being and sanity of a Betazoid, particularly for those with keen telepathic sensory skills. Their empathic/telepathic contact leads to a natural trait of complete honesty, somewhat troubling to outworlders when practiced fully. Mature Betazoids come to take their gifts for granted, and feel helpless without them. In fact, as a species accustomed to openness, they feel uncomfortable around members of those few species - such as the Rygelans - whose thoughts they cannot read. Similarly, the minds of animals can be a bit frightening to them, and they tend to prefer smaller animals. Betazoids can reproduce with humans, although this often dilutes the telepathic abilities of the offspring. The children of such a union often develop empathic rather than full telepathic abilities, though they can still communicate telepathically with their Betazoid parent and a bonded mate. Betazoid society tends toward more formal and elaborate traditions and ceremonies than most cultures in their present evolutionary stage. Some of the rites often make the more conservative offworlder uneasy at first. Betazoids practice an old style of marriage arrangement called genetic bonding, wherein children are promised to each other for marriage later by their parents. On the same note, Betazoids are known for their ability to love more than one person without losing their ability to love their mate, nor are they bound by their marriage customs. Because marriage is a celebration of the act of love to Betazoids, the wedding ceremony itself is traditionally conducted in the nude. Childbearing is similar to Humans, except the normal gestation rate for Betazoid females is ten months rather than nine. Betazoid women can sometimes read the thoughts of their unborn children. During mid-life, Betazoid women experience a condition known as "the Phase," which quadruples their sex drives. Though there are no official gender-based restrictions in place within Betazoid society, women have traditionally held many positions of authority. Betazoids are a species of pacifistic philosophers who are more likely to observe than act, and consequently have little use for weapons or even defense systems. RPG D6 Stats Technology Level: Space Government: Representative Democracy Home Planet or System: Betazed Attribute Dice: 12D DEX 2D/4D KNO 2D/4D+2 MEC 1D+1/3D+2 PER 3D/5D STR 1D+2/4D TEC 1D/3D+2 Special Skills: Perception Skills: Telepathy: Time to use: one round to several minutes. Betazoids possess a natural telepathic aptitude. Special Abilities: Telepathy: This ability is a free-action used between two Betazoids or a Very Easy difficulty with another willing telepathic species when communicating telepathically, sending thoughts in the form of words and images between them. They may pick up emotions and surface thoughts of other species or unwilling telepathic species by making a telepathy roll, opposed to the target's willpower or Perception rolls. Story Factors: Honesty: Their empathic/telepathic ability leads to a natural trait of complete honesty. Pacifists: Betazoids tend to be pacifistic, urging conversation and understanding over conflict. The Phase: During mid-life, Betazoid women experience a condition known as "the Phase," which quadruples their sex drives. Move: 10/12 Size: 1.5-2 meters tall Lifespan: 120 standard years Behind the Scenes The Betazoids are a cross-over species based on the species by the same name in Star Trek canon. Category:Species Category:Near-Human Species